Haunted by their past, the Skelf women are hoping for a quieter life. But running both a funeral directors' and a private investigation business means trouble is never far away, and when a car crashes into the open grave at a funeral that matriarch Dorothy is conducting, she can't help looking into the dead driver's shadowy life.
While Dorothy uncovers a dark truth at the heart of Edinburgh society, her daughter Jenny and granddaughter Hannah have their own struggles. Jenny's ex-husband Craig is making plans that could shatter the Skelf women's lives, and the increasingly obsessive Hannah has formed a friendship with an elderly professor that is fast turning deadly.
But something even more sinister emerges when a drumming student of Dorothy's disappears and suspicion falls on her parents. The Skelf women find themselves sucked into an unbearable darkness but could the real threat be to themselves?
Following three women as they deal with the dead, help the living and find out who they are in the process, The Big Chill follows A Dark Matter, book one in the Skelfs series, which reboots the classic PI novel while asking the big existential questions, all with a big dose of pitch-black humour.
My Thoughts:
The Big Chill is the second in The Skelfs series and follows A Dark Matter which was published in January 2020. The Big Chill can be read as a standalone as past events are referenced but I prefer to read book series in order so I have had an excellent day reading both books.
The Skelf family run a Funeral Directors and are also Private Investigators all rolled in to one and the setting is Edinburgh. This was a unique premise and one of the quirks that I enjoyed about this wholly engrossing story. The Skelfs have been left reeling about the events that happened in A Dark Matter and are slowly adjusting and piecing their lives back together. I don't want to go into too much detail in case you want to read the first book.
There is plenty going on from the outset with a car chase in a graveyard and the mystery of who the driver is. The matriach Dorothy makes it her business to find out who the driver was. There are other investigations also ongoing. We learn about the Skelf's and their investigations in alternating chapters from the Skelf's themselves, Dorothy, Jenny and Hannah.
I loved everything about The Big Chill and A Dark Matter. Dark and deliciously funny, I adored the strong ensemble of The Skelf woman. Powerful, damaged and often a little disjointed. Their individual stories shining though and being revealed bit by bit. There is of course other characters but they seemed although supportive, slightly inconsequential with the main focus being on the Skelf's themselves and the family bond and dynamics.
There is plenty of pace and turns to the story. Even though dark and not always happy, I found it to be a highly entertaining read and also a very memorable series.
About the Author:
Doug Johnstone is the author of more ten novels, most recently Breakers
(2019), which has been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish
Crime Novel of the Year and A Dark Matter (2020), which launched the Skelfs
series. Several of his books have been bestsellers and award winners, and
his work has been praised by the likes of Val McDermid, Irvine Welsh and
Ian Rankin. He’s taught creative writing and been writer in residence at
various institutions – including a funeral home, which he drew on to write
A Dark Matter – and has been an arts journalist for twenty years. Doug is a
songwriter and musician with five albums and three EPs released, and he plays
drums for the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, a band of crime writers. He’s also
player-manager of the Scotland Writers Football Club. He lives in Edinburgh.
You can find him on Twitter: @doug_johnstone or on his website: https://dougjohnstone.com/
About the Publisher:
Orenda Books is a small independent publishing company specialising in literary fiction with a
heavy emphasis on crime/thrillers, and approximately half the list in translation. They’ve been
twice shortlisted for the Nick Robinson Best Newcomer Award at the IPG awards, and publisher
and owner Karen Sullivan was a Bookseller Rising Star in 2016. In 2018, they were awarded a
prestigious Creative Europe grant for their translated books programme. Three authors, including
Agnes Ravatn, Matt Wesolowski and Amanda Jennings have been WHSmith Fresh Talent picks,
and Ravatn’s The Bird Tribunal was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, won an English PEN
Translation Award, and adapted for BBC Radio Four ’s Book at Bedtime. Six titles have been short or
long-listed for the CWA Daggers. Launched in 2014 with a mission to bring more international
literature to the UK market, Orenda Books publishes a host of debuts, many of which have gone
on to sell millions worldwide, and looks for fresh, exciting new voices that push the genre in
new directions. Bestselling authors include Ragnar Jonasson, Antti Tuomainen, Gunnar Staalesen,
Michael J. Malone, Kjell Ola Dahl, Louise Beech, Johana Gustawsson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir and Sarah
Stovell.
Twitter: @OrendaBooks
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Thanks for the blog tour support Leah xx
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